The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has released a preliminary report on the boating accident that involved well-known Nollywood actor, Junior Pope and 11 movie production crew members on the Niger River in Anambra.
The preliminary report revealed that the boat driver was not certified to operate the vessel, and that the fibre boat had not been registered with the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
Additionally, the boat had reportedly exceeded its capacity, carrying 12 passengers and one driver.
It was also further revealed that the boat driver was distracted by the noise on board and failed to maintain his watch while conveying the passengers.
The rowdiness allegedly led to the high-speed boat colliding with a crossing canoe after its occupant jumped out upon seeing the fast approaching vessel.
The collision led the boat to overturn, throwing all occupants into the Anam River and resulting in the death of five persons.
In the NSIB report, it was found out that seven people aboard had been rescued and only one passenger aboard the boat wore a life jacket, which they had brought themselves, as the boat operator did not gibe out life jackets to the passengers.
The rescue operation had reportedly been slow due to the absence of trained divers.
Meanwhile, during a briefing on the release of the 2024 first quarter investigation reports on air and marine transportation incidents in Abuja, the Bureau’s Director of Transport and Investigation, Engr. Abdullahi Babanya, together with the NSIB Director General Captain Alex Badeh, divulged these findings.
The Bureau had also released four investigation reports and twenty safety recommendations.
The NSIB had in its safety recommendations, urged NIWA to ensure that all commercial boats (carrying goods or passengers) were duly registered and the adequate safety measures, implemented and stipulated on inland waterways.
Finally, they recommended training local fishermen and boat association members to moonlight as rescue divers so that faster rescue operations are guaranteed for future incidents.
